Source #3 1976

Curator: Leon Berkowitz's "Source #3", created in 1976 using acrylic and ink, stands as a profound exploration of color and form within the abstract expressionist movement. It’s so subtle, it almost disappears. Editor: My first thought is, like, pure dreamy calm. The soft edges, the way the colors blend... it feels like staring into a really gentle sunset, you know? Or maybe just before sunrise. So muted and almost ethereally beautiful. Curator: Berkowitz, deeply influenced by Color Field Painting, aimed to evoke emotional responses through large fields of subtly modulated color. Thinking about the '70s and the context of art moving toward dematerialization, the immaterial aspects become tangible here. What we're really seeing are emotions becoming colors, painted and brought forth. Editor: Totally, I get that. It’s like the colors are breathing. It’s not about representing anything specific; it’s more about feeling everything at once. Looking at it from a queer perspective, too, this almost limitless, soft space allows for this feeling of being without limitations or expectations. The palette invites something to float without resistance. It resonates. Curator: Absolutely. It defies a singular interpretation. Consider the social and political backdrop of the 1970s, and the rise of identity politics. How does Berkowitz’s abstraction, devoid of figuration, resonate with movements seeking visibility and voice? Does it, in a way, offer a space for diverse identities to be projected? Editor: I love that question. To me, it's almost subversive in its quietness. Instead of yelling for attention, it invites you to linger, to question, to find your own meaning in the softness. And that's powerful, right? Like a gentle act of rebellion, whispered not shouted. Curator: Exactly! Berkowitz gives us the vocabulary but we each, in our viewing experiences, must write the story. This challenges viewers to confront their own perspectives, biases, and desires in engaging with this abstraction. "Source #3" invites a deeper engagement beyond surface aesthetics. Editor: And that’s what makes it stay with you. It's not a quick hit of visual stimulation; it's a slow burn that kindles different reflections, maybe even challenges you, days after you see it.